sophomoric

/sɒfəˈmɒɹɪk/

//sɒfəˈmɒɹɪk// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"sophomoric" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sophomoric” is uncommon English (frequency #87,848 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,848
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of, relating to, or characteristic of a sophomore.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sophomoric · sophomoric · English

sophomoric · rank #87,848 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,848
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Solari

Nearest frequency peer: Solari (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “sophomoric”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “sophomoric” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sophomoric
PropertyValue
Headwordsophomoric
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/sɒfəˈmɒɹɪk/
Letters10
Frequency rank#87,848
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sophomoric” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).sophomoricfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Solari” (#87,847), “sorbitol” (#87,849), “souled” (#87,850). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sophomoric” is #87,848. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sophomoric is uncommon English at frequency #87,848 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /sɒfəˈmɒɹɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for sophomoric in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sophomore + -ic. The correct English form is sophomoric, spelled S-O-P-H-O-M-O-R-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of, relating to, or characteristic of a sophomore.
  2. 2
    Conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature.
  3. 3
    Pretentious; inflated in style or manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how sophomoric appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The editors agree with that “and make that puerile, sophomoric, and jejune too,” says Beard.
  2. sophomoric affectation

Etymology

From sophomore + -ic.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sophomoric"?
"sophomoric" is spelled S-O-P-H-O-M-O-R-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /sɒfəˈmɒɹɪk/.
What does "sophomoric" mean?
As an adjective, "sophomoric" means: Of, relating to, or characteristic of a sophomore.
How do you pronounce "sophomoric"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sophomoric" is /sɒfəˈmɒɹɪk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "sophomoric"?
From sophomore + -ic. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sophomoric", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

silverfish#87,829sildenafil#87,827Strathcona#87,870shapeshift#87,811

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list